The invention relates to a device and to a method for enriching and/or depleting substances in blood.
German specification DE 42 38 884 discloses a system consisting of the following individual components: oxygenator, heat exchanger, blood filter and blood reservoir, all of which are connected to each other via tubes for transporting the blood.
By the same token, membrane oxygenators with integrated membrane elements and an integrated heat exchanger, whereby the heat exchanger element is firmly affixed in the oxygenator, can be found in the state of the art, as disclosed in Europe specification EP 0507722.
Another embodiment of an oxygenator is disclosed in German specification DE 69317763. This document describes a modularly structured, integrated disposable blood oxygenator having a replaceable heat exchanger element.
A device for treating liquids, especially blood, disclosed in European specification EP 0765683 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,279, consists, for example, of several chambers that are made up of tubes. A compact structure is achieved, among other things, in that a cyclone is arranged partially in a tube.
Numerous centrifugal pumps that serve to convey blood are likewise known from the state of the art.
For instance, German patent application DE 101 08 810 A1 shows a blood pump in which the impeller is supported contact-free by electronically regulated magnetic bearings. Aside from the drive energy, additional energy is needed for the contact-free bearing of the rotor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,070 discloses a pump in which the rotor is supported by a plurality of magnets accommodated in the impeller as well as in the pump housing.
Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 6,116,862 discloses a blood pump with an impeller wheel that, for purposes of stabilizing the rotor, uses two mechanical sliding bearings that are subject to wear and tear. One of these rotor bearings contains a universal ball joint bearing on the rear of the impeller wheel for purposes of axial rotor stabilization. Especially the attractive forces from the magnetic coupling device are absorbed by the first bearing. The second rotor bearing contains a shaft-bush bearing for radially stabilizing the rotor as well as for absorbing tilting forces resulting from the magnetic coupling.